HireVue Blog

Why You Should Hire for Cultural Fit

Are you hiring for cultural fit? When selecting candidates and choosing who to bring on board with your company, don’t just hire for skills and knowledge. Hire for cultural fit.

Building a team that fits with your company culture is incredibly important for a number of reasons. According to a recent article posted on Smart Recruiters, the benefits of hiring for culture include:

Workers have greater job satisfaction

The team identifies more with the company

Individuals are more likely to stay with the company

Employees show superior job performance

When hiring for fit during digital interviews, many companies mistakenly try asking odd questions, such as, “if blue were a food, what would it taste like?” Alternatively, many interviewers ask situational questions that evaluate a candidate’s past experiences, rather than discerning their core values and personality traits. And, when hiring managers don’t like a candidate but can’t put their finger on why, they often turn to the elusive “fit” as an excuse.

Whatever you do, don’t use “cultural fit” as an excuse to discriminate when hiring. (It didn’t turn out well for Abercrombie & Fitch— it certainly won’t turn out well for you.) Instead, sit down and focus on what the core values that drive your company are.

What separates you from the competition? Are you tech-savvy? Are you a more traditional workplace? Do you ask that your employees be humble, or do you require that all managers are servant-leaders? Figure out what makes you special, and then search for those same sparkling qualities in your candidates. When done right, hiring for fit is practically guaranteed to build a stronger, better lasting team.